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Winemaker's Notes

Roederer Estate Brut, the first California sparkling wine produced by Champagne Louis Roederer, builds upon a 200-year tradition of fine winemaking that has made Roederer champagne among the most sought-after in the world.

Roederer's winemaking style is based on two elements: ownership of its own vineyards and the addition of oak-aged reserve wines to each year's blend or cuvee. All the grapes for the Anderson Valley wines are grown on the Estate.

Each year, the winemaker selects a portion of the best wines for aging in Center of France oak casks. Aged from one to three years, wines from this reserve cellar are added to the blend, creating a multi-vintage cuvee in the traditional Roederer style, known for its body, finesse and depth of flavor.

The Roederer Estate Brut debuted in October 1988, and has since established its reputation as one of California's premier sparklers, remaining true to the heritage of excellence and style of its French forebears.

Critical Acclaim

WE92

Wine Enthusiast - "Thickly moussed, Roederer’s Brut, 60% Chardonnay blended with 40% Pinot Noir, aged two years on yeast is affordable and luxurious. A gorgeous, very dry sparkling wine with aromatics of honey, raisin, apple and pear, it is rich and soft and offers both depth and length. It’s an ideal marriage of bright acidity and ripe fruit character."

Connoisseurs' Guide - "Dollar for dollar, Roederer Estate ranks among California's best sparkling wines, and, if not an extravagant wine or one that competes with those that have had years and years en tirage, this one is a composed, keenly balanced and entirely classy effort. Its subtle yeasty complexities and its fine, wonderfully persistent mousse are uncommon at the price, and, while a complete and thoroughly enjoyable wine at the moment, it is one that should last and last in the cellar."

Roederer Estate Winery

The crisp, fresh and rich flavors of Roederer Estate sparkling wines reflect the cool, fog-shrouded Anderson Valley that is home to their family-owned estate's 600 acres of vineyards. This protected valley in Northern California provides the ideal ripening conditions for their 100% estate-grown Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. Founded in 1982, Roederer Estate adds oak-aged reserve wines to all their blends to create complex, dry and harmonious sparkling wines.
View all Roederer Estate Wines

About North Coast

Beyond Napa and Sonoma in the north you find a couple of other counties producing great wine. Among these are Mendocino and Lake County. The northernmost California winegrowing regions, these two counties are right above Napa and Sonoma, geographically. Yet, wine-wise they are very different – both from their southern neighbors and from each other.

Notable Facts

Mendocino has a high amount of organic vintners and vines. The first winery to settle here was Fetzer, which practices organic viticulture and holds some of the most vineyard land in the area. Mendocino has many pockets of micro-climates while Lake County, being smaller in size, is less diverse climactically. As for the grapes, Chardonnay is the most popular in both counties, but there are also some excellent Sauvignon Blancs, particularly in the Lake County. In red wine, Zinfandel leads the way, followed by Rhone Blends and Petite Sirah. The reds in both counties are complex and sumptuous. Anderson Valley is a sub-AVA of Mendicino and is quite well known for its excellent cool climate, producing the delicious Roederer Estate sparkling wines and some wonderful cool-climate Syrah.

About California

It's not rare to see a wine's country of origin listed as "California." A country into itself in the wine world, California makes enough varieties and styles to match many European wine countries. It produces a diverse range of wines that span the quality spectrum.

The most famous of the California wine regions is Napa Valley, and these wines are certainly outstanding – but it's not as broad and diverse as its larger neighbor, Sonoma County. Down south, Santa Barbara's Santa Maria Valley is well-known for its Rhône blends, as well as cool-climate varieties like Pinot and Chardonnay. The Central Coast, the largest California AVA, has many different microclimates that lead to a wide range of wines with many sub-AVAs.

65 ratings, 21 with reviews

I find Roederer's Estate Brute to be the perfect intersection of taste and value in a sparkling wine. It is crisp with citrus, apple and berry aromas and flavors with a fine body. Though not as nutty and yeasty as many Champagnes it has a hint of those elements. It is marvelous alone or with appropriate foods. You definitely need to keep this around.

Since relocating to the US from France, we've been looking for a good-value bubbly to replace our dwindling stock of French champagne (from independent winemakers). To date we have tried Chandon, Mumm, Gloria Ferrer and Roederer in the $25 range, and the Roederer is the best of the bunch.

It is clean and crisp. I will give it 89, but not 91. It was $19.99 when I bought it. I may buy it again if the price is lower than that. For more than $20, I much prefer the Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut Rose. The difference is huge.

Scharffenberger Brut Excellence is made by the traditional méthode champenoise process – whereby the wines are individually bottle fermented before
being riddled and disgorged. The wine is approximately two thirds Pinot Noir and one third Chardonnay and undergoes 100% malolactic ...

Schramsberg Reserve is their top Pinot Noir focused brut sparkling wine. Representing about 3 percent of their annual production, this
richly flavored and full bodied sparkler is made from only the finest base wine lots produced each year. Over seven ...

Rack & Riddle North Coast Brut offers of citrus, pear, and floral aromas with a hint of yeast. The fine
mousse brings forth the light citrus, smooth and round in the mouth. Finish is round, with a note of grapefruit. ...

Alcohol By Volume Guide

Most wine ranges from 10-16% alcohol by volume. Some varietals tend to have higher (for example Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon) or lower alcohol levels (Pinot Noir and many white varietals), but there is always some variation from producer to producer. Some wine falls outside of this range, for instance Port weighs in closer to 20%, while Muscat and Riesling are usually a bit below 10%.

Wine Style Guide

Light & Crisp

Light to medium bodied wines that are high in acid and light to medium fruit. Typically no oak.